Research Synthesis

Below the driving question task, "Blog on your lit review focusing on what it tells you about your research question,"  are the research articles most recently included in my IRB.

In terms of what the lit review and all other readings tell me about my research question I obviously look to themes within the research. Were I to decide a single thread that runs through them all it would be the notion that in order for students to access content they must first overcome the internal noncognitive barriers that inhibit learning. Whether celebrating mistake making, ensuring a focus on student thinking over right and wrong answers, eliminating ability grouping, or recognizing that the ability to learn is not an innate characteristic, the backbone of them all is that educators must reflect on the various messages we communicate to students if we hope to make a dent in their achievement. It is somewhat akin to step 1 of AA's 12 steps of recovery, i.e., we must first acknowledge the power mindset has over us if we are to overcome our academic woes. Enough of that. What does it tell me about my research question? Well, sadly, but to the benefit of students, it tells me what is already well known, i.e., that it is a worthwhile venture. So why make it a research question? As iterated to me by Dr. Hawley in her recommendation to read Tinkering Toward Utopia, we, educators, are guilty of muddying the waters of what and what does not work in our schools  as we fail to isolate new factors in favor of adding layers upon layers to appease whatever mass is "encouraging" change. It is not something I see changing in k-12, but like was said, it's worthwhile.

IRB Articles

Whether the byproduct of the widespread search for answers, a genuine test for how one thinks and its effect individual prospects, or an ideological reincarnation or synthesis of previous notions, research abounds about on the topic of mindset. All demonstrate positive outcomes for students, but vary in what aspect they improve, e.g., academic, social-emotional, societal, etc. In Growth mindset, performance avoidance, and academic behaviors in Clark County School District (Snipes & Tran, 2017), researchers discovered that developing growth mindset most benefited minorities, socio-economically disadvantaged (SED) students, and English learners. When reflecting on one of the basic tenets of Growth Mindset, i.e., dissected responses around thinking over the strict notion of right and wrong, it is plain to see why this would be the case. English learners’ educational experiences, particularly those at the lower English attainment level and in secondary settings where content is both more difficult and complex, fall in either understanding what teachers are communicating or not; moving beyond decoding and comprehension to the levels of analysis and synthesis are a stretch, solidifying their fixed mindset. Same holds true for both minorities and SED but as articulated in study, it is most likely a result of previous academic experiences which have led them to believe in the limits and innateness of their potential. Of greatest discovery was that although schools tend to focus intervention on mere academic measures, targeting student beliefs is of equal if not greater benefit. I could not help but think of the value of academic counselors, how they develop these beliefs in students, and what a travesty it is that they are first on the chopping block when budgets fall short and/or work with exhorbitantly high student to counselor ratios. Of additional note is the identification that fixed mindsets evidence themselves greatest in the higher grades, noting greater academic risk taking in lower grade levels. One need only reflect on his/her own middle and high school experience to be reminded the level of scrutiny by peers in novel settings to understand why this would be the case.

Like the aforementioned benefit of belief interventions, in Jo Boaler’s Ability and Mathematics: the mindset revolution that is reshaping education (2013) , she notes the immediate performance benefit to students when developing their growth mindset habits, as well as a narrowing of the achievement gap for minorities and genders. Boaler also found greater overall satisfaction within coursework and an end to grade decline. Widely understood themes pervade, e.g., debunking of ability grouping, tasks with ranges of possibilities, mistake making, etc. but of greatest interest from a socio- and anthropological perspective is how value systems contribute to growth mindset habits. Boaler notes Japan’s value in equity over the American value of competition and ranking, with the latter being one that contributes to a fixed mindset. This finding reflects the true enormity of the task her in the US.

Lastly, and exclusive to Claree Lee’s, Fixed or Growth - Does It Matter? (2009), she notes the damage done by excessive marking in math classrooms, an aspect she and other researchers extensively detail in Assessment for Learning: Putting it into practice. Also highlighted in developing growth mindset habits is the need for teachers to suppress their desire to help and answer by letting students engage in productive struggle.